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The current intermittent rains being experienced in some parts of Kajiado County and in many other areas countrywide made many residents to heave a sigh of relief, though to some they see it as a case of too little help coming too late after the prolonged severe drought that decimated whole herds as crops withered.
In some areas the drought was so severe that herders have had to move to neigbouring districts in Tanzania in seach of pasture where, however, in what looks like a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire, the Tanzanian authorities confiscated over 1,300 head of cattle and charged the owners in court before auctioning the livestock.
Year in year out, the residents of Kajiado County who rely on pastoralism as a major economic activity to sustain their livelihoods continue to suffer needlessly. It is high time that the Kajiado County Government, the local residents themselves and various stakeholders took it upon themselves to find a lasting solution to this perennial suffering.
Apart from diversifying to minimize dependence on one economic activity, the locals should, for instance, venture into greenhouse farming to produce various horticultural produce through irrigation by harvesting rain water and also tapping underground water. Boreholes can be sunk to provide water all the year round. The water then can be used for irrigation to produce grains and vegetables. This can be done through co-operatives and self-help groups engaging both men and women and in so doing provide a lasting solution to mitigate prolonged drought.